Patriots discussion: Musket Fire Roundtable 5/26

Kirk von Kreisler – Last season we saw Dion Lewis breakout and make himself a valuable piece for the offense. Is there anyone that has the potential to become an important asset for the team this season that many won’t see coming?

Connor Fulton – While everyone is talking about the three undrafted corners, Cyrus Jones and E.J. Biggers, you can’t forget about Darryl Roberts. You may remember that Roberts was one of the biggest stories of training camp last season before breaking his wrist in a preseason game. The Marshall product possesses excellent coverage and ball skills, and unlike those five offseason additions, he has experience in the Patriots’ system. You can bet that Roberts spent his sidelined season studying up on the defensive playbook and grooming the thinking part of the cornerback craft. I’m not saying Roberts is a roster lock, but he has the potential to squeeze onto the active roster and make contributions in 2016.

Cyrus Geller – How about Chris Long? Obviously Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard are the top two edge guys right now, but as the season progresses, I think Long will emerge as a key contributor on this Patriots defense. Perhaps he will only be a pass rusher on specific passing situations, or maybe he starts to really cut into Ninkovich’s snaps as the starter opposite Sheard. I just think that Long is finally in a system that knows how to win, and at this point in his career, that is the only thing he wants to do. We know Long has talent (54.5 career sacks), and now that he is on a team that wins, I think he will explode and make Pats fans not miss Chandler Jones now that he is in Arizona.

Hal Bent – I love this question (and not just because I can plug my offseason look at potential second year breakout players here at MusketFire) because the breakout star is a cornerstone of the Bill Belichick New England Patriots teams. Surprise contributors like Otis Smith, Jermaine Wiggins, Dan Koppen, David Givens, Danny Woodhead, Tully Banta-Cain, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patrick Chung (version 2.0), Malcolm Butler, and Lewis are just a few of the seeming endless supply of players who take to the coaching and playbook and find a niche in this system.

One overlooked player from the NFL Draft last year was defensive end Geneo Grissom (2015 third-rounder) With Rob Ninkovich (6.5 sacks) and Jabaal Sheard (8.0 sacks) joined by Chris Long and the trio expected to get regular playing time in the defensive end rotation, Grissom could be the surprise of the group.

Grissom actually played the fourth-most snaps at defensive end last season. Grissom appears to be a younger and more athletic version of veteran Rob Ninkovich as he was an intelligent and disciplined player as a rookie. With Grissom likely the long-term replacement for the steady Ninkovich, he should begin pushing him for playing time in 2016 and making an impact as a solid run-stopper and sneakily effective pass rusher.

Jaydeen Allen –  Shea McClellin. The former Chicago Bear linebacker hasn’t lived up to the “hype” after being drafted before Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower in the first round. But that isn’t necessarily his fault. Since being on the Bears, McClellin has been under three different head coaches (Lovie Smith, Marc Tresman, John Fox) and has changed positions three times (from defensive end to outside linebacker to inside linebacker). He has the versatility, so perhaps all that was missing was a little Belichick magic.

Next: Connor - toughest and easiest NFC West matchups